Filing cabinet work shelf



pril 26,1949. L. H. GLENDENING Em 2,4 8 662 FILING CABINET WORK SHELF Filed March 7, 1946 2 Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR5.

April 26, 1949.

H. GLENDENING ETALY FILING CABINET WORK SHELF 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 7, 1946 INVENTORS.

Patented Apr. 26, 1949 FILING CABINET WORK SHELF Loran H. Glendening and Basil H. Beadle, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Application March '7, 1946, Serial No. 652,645

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in filing cabinet work shelf.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a cabinet drawer with a shelf which may be collapsed into the cabinet with the drawer or extended when the drawer is in extended position either at the front of the drawer or at either side thereof.

Second, to provide a cabinet having a drawer with an adjustable shelf associated therewith in which the parts are arranged so that little or no additional space is required over the arrangement of drawers in commercial types of cabinets.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed out in the claims.

A structure which embodies the features of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front perspective View of a file cabinet embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view with the drawer extended, the shelf being shown in one adjusted position by full lines and in two other possible positions by dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section on line 3-3 of Figs. 1 and 4.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View on line 5-4 of Figs. 3 and 5.

Fig. 5 is an inverted view of the drawer with its attached shelf withdrawn from the cabinet.

In the accompanying drawings the cabinet I is of the filing cabinet type and is provided with a compartment 2 adapted to receive a drawer 3. The cabinet and the drawer are illustrated as being formed of sheet metal. Drawer slide-ways 4 are mounted on the side walls of the compartment, the drawer being provided with slides 5 secured to its sides. Extensible slides 5 are provided coacting with the slide bearing elements I. As the details of these slide bearing elements form no part of this invention they are not further detailed.

The slides are, however, designed to support the drawer in extended or withdrawn position, as shown in Fig. 2.

We provide a self 8, preferably formed of sheet metal and having down-turned side and rear flanges 9 and I0 and a down-turned front flange I I. Flanges 9 and ID are primarily reinforcing or strengthening flanges. While flange Ii serves that purpose it also serves to cover the cross-bar 42 of the cabinet structure when the drawer is in its retracted position, see Fig. 3.

It will be noted that the drawer is supported well above the bottom of the compartment. The

shelf is supported for rotatable and longitudinal adjustment by means of the disk-like supporting plate l3 which is mounted on the under side of the bottom I4 of the drawer by means of the central rivet or stud I5. The support I3 is provided with an annular rib-like bar I6 and with a central struck up hearing H, the shelf being provided with a longitudinal slot I8 engaging the stud I5. Thus supported the shelf may be moved longitudinally and laterally of the drawer so that when the drawer is in extended position the shelf may be pulled out in alignment with the drawer, as shown in dotted lines I9 in Fig, 2, or may be adjusted to either side of the drawer as shown by the full and dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The support for the shelf is effective to sustain the shelf even when quite heavily loaded.

With this arrangement we provide a work shelf for the drawer which may be adjusted to meet the convenience of the user or as may be rendered desirable by the location of the cabinet.

The invention has been illustrated and described in a highly practical and economical embodiment thereof. We have not attempted to illustrate or describe other adaptations which we contemplate to particular structures of cabinets, as it is believed that this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt our invention as may be desired.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a filing cabinet, the combination of a compartment adapted to receive a drawer and provided with ways at the sides thereof, a drawer provided with ways on its sides, slides coacting with said Ways on said compartment and drawer whereby the drawer is slidably supported to telescope into said compartment and to be substantially withdrawn therefrom, a shelf having a downturned flange at its outer end disposed on the under side of said drawer, said shelf having a longitudinal slot of substantial length, a disklike supporting plate for said shelf having a beadlike annular bearing portion at its outer edge and an upset central bearing portion and a supporting rivet arranged through the bottom of the drawer and said central bearing portion of said plate and through the slot of said shelf, said shelf being rotatably and slidably supported by said supporting plate and its supporting rivet.

2. The combination of a cabinet provided with a compartment, slideways on the side walls of the compartment, a drawer slidably supported on said slideways to telescope into the compartment or to be substantially withdrawn therefrom, a shelf having a central longitudinal slot, and a supporting plate having an annular bearing portion for said shelf at its periphery and a central bearing portion, a supporting stud for said supporting plate secured to the bottom of said drawer and arranged through said slot in said shelf whereby the shelf is slidably and rotatably supported for adjustment to extend at the front or at either side of the drawer when the drawer is in withdrawn position.

3. The combination with a cabinet having a compartment and slideways on the side walls of the compartment, of a drawer slidably mounted on said slideways to telescope into the compartment or to be substantially withdrawn therefrom, a shelf having a central longitudinal slot, and a supporting plate for said shelf disposed on the under side thereof, said plate being supported from the drawer by a stud engaging the drawer and extending through the slot of the shelf whereby the self is slidably and rotatably supported for adjustment to extended position at the front of the drawer or to be swung to at least one side of the drawer when the drawer is withdrawn from the cabinet.

LOBAN H. GLENDENING. BASIL BEEDLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 1

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 542,277 Pau'l'y July 9, 1895 939,623 Payne et al. Nov. 9, 1909 2,037,881 Clark ...L Apr. 21, 1936 2,211,199 Corken sun-.02-; Aug. 13, (1940 2,227,786 LaFee Jan. 1941 

